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Smarter Family: Extra Large Art Projects

All kids love to create things; it's how they first learn to express themselves without words, and it offers so many possibilities for exploring ideas and bringing imagination to life in colorful, fun and interesting ways. One thing most people usually don't think about, though, even parents who keep art supplies on hand all the time, is that art projects, even little kid's art projects, can be something REALLY big and don't need to be confined only to the size of a sheet of paper. In fact, there are tons of simple and super fun ideas for large art projects your kids can create over time, either alone or with or friends, or with your help.

One idea is using a really big cardboard box, or a bunch of smaller ones. Simple cardboard boxes can become SO many cool things, like a fort, a hut, a rocket ship, a pirate ship or a bat or bear cave. Kids will enjoy literally hours of fun building and decorating and imagining this new world, if you let them create it and give them the space, time and tools to do so. You don't need anything fancy: whatever basic art materials you have at home will be fine. You might want to add in a roll of aluminum foil, some tape and some glue, and some empty paper towel and toilet paper rolls and such. These recycled items make great make-believe tools and fun art projects as well, especially when they are part of something huge and exciting. You could even suggest the kids dress up for the parts they are playing, in the end, if they have some costumes or things to use for dress-up. I know several kids who have made projects like this and hang onto them for a year or more, and continue to play with them and enjoy them every day.

Another great way to make a large art project is by using wall space: You can just cover a wall with paper, or an old sheet as a canvass, and give your kids some paint (finger paint is lots of fun to make hand prints) and things like glitter glue and magazine images, bits of paper and fabric and even ribbon and suck, to add on as collage. Have them just pick a theme, if they want to, before starting, so they have an idea of what kind of world to create: it could be a jungle or outer space, or a city or a beach, for instance. Or a unique combination of several themes or ideas than can eventually blend together. Making a mural is fun and unique way to create art, and one that can be added onto and enjoyed for a long time to come.

Do you have any ideas for fun, extra large kids' art projects to share?

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